Slip cover



Dec. 31; 1951 F. B. zAcKs 2,817,858

SLIP COVER Filed April'19, 1955 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent i SLIP COVER Florence B. Zacks, Columbus, Ohio Application April 19, 1955, Serial No. 502,400 1 Claim. (Cl. 5-354) This invention relates generally to a slip cover for mattresses, and more particularly, to a cloth slip cover for play pen pads which can be easily removed. The play pen pads presently used are usually constructed of a thin plastic skin filled with cotton or other suitable material. Placed on the floor of the play pen these pads are subjected to a great deal of wear and tear in daily use. As a consequence of this treatment the plastic tends to crack and tear. Moreover, the plastic is rather difiicult to clean, since it is an integral portion of the play pen pad. In order to properly clean the plastic skin the entire pad must be removed from the play pen. The pad is not readily accessible in any other way. Another shortcoming of this plastic skin lies in the fact that it tends to warp when subjected to heat, becoming sticky and uncomfortable for the baby. Cold and wet spots are impossible to avoid and the baby is chilled and chafed by contact with the plastic. Because of these and other shortcomings it has become highly desirable to clothe the play pen pad with a suitable slip cover.

It is consequently one object of this invention to provide a slip cover for play pen pads which can be easily removed from the pad yet will not slip or shift position when properly fitted.

It is another object of this invention to provide a slip cover for play pen pads which can be removed and washed without necessitating the removal of the entire pad from the floor of the play pen.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a slip cover for play pen pads which will not chafe or irritate the babys skin.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a slip cover for play pen pads which can be exposed to heat yet will not become sticky or uncomfortable.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cloth slip cover for play pen pads which is simple to manufacture, durable and yet attractive.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent in part from the specification and in part from the figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a play pen showing a play pen pad and the cloth slip cover;

Figure 2 is a side view of the play pen showing the cloth slip cover which fits over the plastic pad and the manner in which this cover is attached to the posts of the play pen; and

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the slip cover showing the panels and tie strings.

Referring now to the figures in more detail, the cor ner posts of the play pen are designated generally at 10. The floor of the play pen is designated at 11. The play pen mattress or pad 12 is placed upon the floor 11 of the play pen. It will be readily appreciated that the mattress or pad placed on the bottom of the play pen can vary considerably in thickness. It will also be evident that the play pen itself may vary considerably in size and shape. Generally, the pad or mattress placed on the floor of the play pen fits snugly within the play pens perimeter so that it does not slip or turn freely. In this way the child is prevented from moving or upsetting the pad.

The conventional play pen pad is usually 40" by 40", stuffed with cotton or similar soft matted material, and covered with a plastic skin. The cloth slip cover which 2,817,858 Patented Dec. 31, 1957 ICC fits snugly over this play pen pad or mattress can of course be manufactured to fit a pad of virtually any size or shape. The cloth slip cover is designated generally at 13 and consists substantially of two panels or portions, a surface portion designated generally at 17 and a depending portion designated generally at 16. The slip cover 13, when laid out flat, is substantially square in shape. The depending portions are made by overlapping adjacent sides of the square cover at the corners and stitching or otherwise fixing them in place. This stitched portion of the slip cover fits snugly over the corner of the play pen pad so that the cover cannot move or slip off the pad. The crease in the cover produced by the stitching of the corners of the cover is designated at 15. Tie strings 18 are stitched or otherwise attached to the slip cover at these corners. These tic strings are looped about the corner posts 10 of the play pen and tied in place. It is, of course, possible to use more than four tie strings. Any number of tie strings may be placed along the perimeter of the cloth slip cover and tied about adjacent vertical bar members of the play pen. Thus, by the simple cooperation of the stitched corners of the cloth cover and the securing tie strings looped about and tied to the posts of the play pen, the play pen pad or mattress is provided with a superior surface covering which possesses none of the defects inherent in the conventional plastic skin.

The slip cover is preferably made from a soft, nonirritating and washable material. Terry cloth has been found ideal for this purpose, though this invention is not limited to this material.

This invention is superior to conventional covers for play pen pads in that no snaps or buttons are employed which can be pulled open or scratch the baby in the play pen. At the same time the pad, because of the cooperation of the tie strings and the corners of the slip cover which fit over the pad, provides a much more snug fit than would be expected from the employment of conventional snaps or buttons. Another advantage of this invention lies in the fact that cloth, such as terry cloth, is washable and therefore does not present a cleaning problem.

It will be readily realized that various modifications and changes can be made in the embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of this invention, as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is desired by Letters Patent is:

A play pen assembly comprising, in combination, a rectangular structure providing an enclosure having corner posts and a lower peripheral portion constituting a base frame; an upholstered pad disposed snugly within said frame with its side margins in yielding contact with said frame on all four sides; a slip cover of relatively soft fabric having a main covering portion of substantially the same area and configuration as the top surface of said pad, and having a depending skirt portion on all four sides of a height approximating the thickness of the pad, said skirt portions tucked wedgingly in between the inner sides of said base frame and the margins of said pad; and tie strings having ends secured to said cover at points adjacent each corner thereof and tied to the corner posts of said enclosure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,928,943 McKay Oct. 3, 1933 2,128,978 Akin Sept. 6, 1938 2,221,114 Schwartz Nov. 12, 1940 2,313,337 Gurke Mar. 9, 1943 2,677,834 Moynihan May 11, 1954 2,683,267 'Weil July 13, 1954 

